Silo construction



Aug. 24, 1965 R L, OUGHTON ETAL 3,202,254

SILO CONSTRUCTION 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Feb. 19, 1962 Aug. 24, 1965 l R. L. ouGHToN l-:TAL 3,202,254

S ILO CONSTRUCTION 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 19, 1962 Aug. 24, 1965 R. 1 oUGHToN ETAL 3,202,254

SILO CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 19, 1952 s sheets-sheet s United States Patent O 3,292,254 SIL@ CONSTRUCTION Ray L. Oughton, Woodstock, lll., and Wallace J. Macernon, Madison, Wis., assignors to Martin-Marietta Corporation, a corporation of Maryland Filed Feb. 19,1962, Ser. No.`173,959 Claims. (Cl. 1925-15) This invention relates to a silo. More particularly, it relates to a novel feed storage silo having a removable internalunloading or discharging system therefor.

In accordance with the present invention, a silo for ensilage is provided having a limited number of access doors, generally only one door near the top and another door at the bottom. A rail member providing track means is vertically mounted on the inside of the wall of the silo with the bottom end of the tracks of the rail member being positioned adjacent the bottom access door and terminating a predetermined distance above the door of the silo. A longitudinally movable unloading chute is formed by mounting releasable chute segments on said rail members within the silo, the chute segments being of a diameter and height passable through the access door and mountable in position by sliding of longitudinal lips of the segments into the vertical extending tracks of the rail member.

Conventional silos generally have been constructed with a circular horizontal cross-sectional configuration. A continuous vertical opening is provided in the side wall thereof. This vertical opening is bounded by a framework which supports a plurality of doors mounted substantially in edge-to-edge relationship along the length of the framework.

When the unloading chute is of the type mounted ex- 1.

teriorly of the silo, the doors are designed to be successively opened for -discharge of ensilage into the chute. If the unloading chute is of the Vinverted type, the doors serve as access points.

Conventional silos have had numerous disadvantages.

The presence of the continuous vertical opening in the side wall of the silo rendered the construction weak and the need to open doors restricted the positioning of silo reinforcing members. In addition, the silo doors were a source of leakage from or into the silo, which leakage resulted in spoilage of an appreciable portion of stored ensilage.

Briefly, the present invention comprises a continuous silo having a limited number of spaced access doors, one of which is on the bottom of a silo, a mounting rail extending substantially vertical along the inside of the wall from above the access door to the top of the silo, a segmented tubular chute extending from a point of predetermined distance above the oor of the silo to the top of the silo, the segments of the tubular chute being of `a. size to be insertable through the access door, hav- 3,202,254 Patented Aug. 24, 1965 stantially continuous silo wall thereabove is then erected on the base. This silo may be constructed of concrete staves, of metallic parts capable of withstanding corrosion by Contact with materials formed in the ensilage, of metallic parts coated on the exterior surface with a silage-acid resistant coating, such as a polyethylene coating, or other suitable material of construction.

The silo is provided with an exteriorly mounted filler pipe adapted to introduce ensilage at the top of the silo so that the ensilage will fall and distribute uniformly to fill the interior of the silo. Such a filler pipe is connected to a conventional blower to introduce the ensilage, The silo also has secured to the interior wall thereof, rail means. This rail means is mounted on the silo wall by securing means such as rivets, flanges adapted to be positioned between adjacent staves, or other suitable means. The rail means is mounted generally to extend vertically from just above the top of the bottom access door to the top horizontal rim of the silo wall and may be an integral unit or may be made up of sections mounted in axial alignment.

The rail means may consist of a single -unit with suitable guide tracks adapted to cooperate with the vertical edges of the chute segments for sliding support thereof or may consist of spaced companion units each having a single track therein. Preferably, a single rail means is provided with tracks adapted to hold the longitudinal edges or lips of a chute segment in sliding engagement in the tracks. If desired, suitable friction reducing means, such as ball bearings may be mounted either in the tracks or on the longitudinal edges of the chute segments to facilitate elevation and lowering of the chute.

The longitudinal movable unloading chute for the silos of this invention is formed by securing together detachable segments which may be substantially cylindrical in form, preferably segments of U-shaped horizontal cross sectional configuration and of a size adapted to pass through the bottom access door. Such a U-shaped segment of the chute will have straight legs connected by a concave curved portion having a diameter of l() to `18 inches.

The vertical edges of the straight portions of the chute segment are formed with a lip designed to engage the rail in a manner holding the segment against dislodgment. The chute segment is formed with a wall-thickness in the range between about 0.0024 inch and 0.03 inch. A segment of the chute is generally provided with top and bottom edges adapted to engage in an interlocking relationship. Segments mounted in this interlocking relationship may be secured together by suitable means, for example, by bolts, or other releasable means, so that the joined members of the chute may be elevated or lowered in a unitary manner.

When the rst segment of the chute is positioned with the vertical edges in cooperating relationship with the tracks of the rail member, apertures adjacent the top of the segment provide one form of means for securing elevating means to the chute. After the rst segment of the chute is elevated to a position permitting the second segment to be introduced into the silo through the access door, the two segments are secured together.. Positioned segments are elevated and additional segments are added until a continuous chute extends from the access door to the top of the silo. l

After a complete chute is in place, the silo is lilled with ensilage through the external feed chute. After storage, ensilage is removed from this type of silo by unloading from the top down. Ensilage can be moved to the chute manually or by mechanical means. Preferably, a mechanical unloader is inserted in the top or" the silo which has a cutting chain to bring ensilage to an auger feeder which delivers the ensilage to the unloading chute.

Such unloaders generally are positioned by contact with the interior surface of the silo through means such as Wheel members horizontally positioned 180 apart. In order to permit rotation of the unloader, the chute must be taken out of the path of the silo wall contacting members of the unloader before the unloader has moved through a maximum of 180. This is accomplished during the unloading operation by movement of the chute downward incrementally and removing the bottommost segment of the chute when each segment is in a position to be released and to be removed through the access door. Lowering of the unloading chute leaves only the rail or track member in the path of the resiliently mounted terminal wheel members of the unloader. Such a rail member, being only between about 11/2 and 3 inches high, does not constitute an obstruction to the movement of the unloader through a full 360 horizontal circular path.

Movement of the unloading chute up and down the rail means may be accomplished by any suitable tension forming means, such as a cable secured either to the top segment of the chute or to the top segment and to the bottom segment of a group of segments joined in a unitary structure. Such a cable is preferably secured to the chute in a manner permitting the cable to exert-an upward or a downward pull, depending upon the direction of rotation of an actuating means such as a double spool winch located adjacent the lower access door.

The rail means and the chute may be prepared from similar or dissimilar materials of construction. Suitable i construction materials are metals, resinous materials set to a rigid plastic, and the like. Chrome-nickel-steel alloys are one form of material which exhibit the desirable properties of strength under compression and resistance to corrosion by organic acids formed in stored ensilage. Thermosetting resins, such as polystyrene or the copolymer of polyvinylidene chloride-polyvinyl chloride sold under the trade name Saran and similar resins can be formed into suitable rails and chute segment.

Rails for securing to the inside wall of the silo are generally formed to have a l() to 18 inch Width and to lit llush to the interior wall of the silo. The depth of the rail is generally about 11/2 to 3 inches. Such a rail formed of metal or resinous material is capable of supporting a chute having members with from to 18 inch diameter of curvature portion, such as can be used in 10 to 30 foot diameter silos.

The capabilities and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE l is a front elevational View with the unloading chute position indicated in dotted line;

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view with the wall segment broken away to show the chute and its actuating mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a plan section ofthe chute along the line 3 3 of FIG. l;

FIG. 4 is a section along the line 4--4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the lower portion of a silo with the unloading chute system having its outlet outside the bottom access door;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a partial disassembly of the Ylifting means; Y

FIG. 7 is a section along the line 7 7 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is section similar to FIG. 6 except showing the lifting means in position for upward movement;

FIG. 9 is a perspective of enlarged chute used to keep area about the outlet door free of ensilage; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a portion of the dome of the silo and the unloading mechanism.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1d indicates a silo with a wall 11 formed of, for example, concrete staves 12. The silo is closed at the top by a dome 13. Silo 1t) is provided with access doors 14 and 15 of a conventional construction. Directly above the access door 14 there is mounted a track member 16 secured onto the inside of wall 11 by flanges 17 and 18 of sinuous configuration conforming to the adjacent ends of staves 12. Alternatively, the track member may be secured by means of bolts which pass through the silo wall.

Rail member 16 is provided with spaced opposed tracks or gooves 19 and 2t). As shown, the opposed tracks slidably support a chute 21.

Chute 21 is made up of segments 21a, 21h, 21C, etc., and is provided at the time of unloading the silo with an elbow trough member 24 adapted to be releasably tted to the bottommost segment of the emplaced chute and to extend out of the silo through the access door 14.

Chute segments 21a, Zlib, etc., are provided with a ilange 25 which may be formed integral therewith or secured thereto by suitable means 26, such as a rivet, a bolt and the like. Alternatively, the segments may be adapted with cooperating slots and pins capable of interlocking engagement such as a bayonet joint. When securing the segments together in an edge-to-edge intertting relation is to be by means of bolts, flange 25 is apertured at 2.7 in a position adapted to come into alignment with the top side apertures 28 in the segments of the chute. Apertures of the chute segment rst installed on the track member 16 indicated in the gures as Segment 21k provide means for securing of pull exerting means 32 adapted to move chute segments upward or downward in the grooves 19 and 2t).

Chute segments 21a, 21h, etc., are provided at the longitudinal edges adapted for vertical positioning with lips 22 and 23 or equivalent construction to secure and to guide the chute segments in the grooves 19 and 20 of the track member 16.

As is illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2 and 4, the specific pull exerting means 32 illustrated consists of a cable 33 which is releasably or non-releasably secured to chute segment 21k by suitable means. Cable 33 passes over spaced pulley wheels 34 and 35 and then downwardly to an actuating means 36 such as a double spool winch provided with suitable locking means and secured preferably to the doorframe 14a of access door 14. In order to move the chute lin a downward direction when the movement of winch 36 is reversed, the cable extends around the pulley wheel 37 secured to the interior of the bottom of the doorframe 14a and then upward to the means 3S for securing the cable to the topmost chute segment.

In FIGURES 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8, the means for attachment of the cable 33 to the lifting means 38 which is secured to the topmost segment of the chute for the longitudinal movement of the chute is illustrated as consisting of plates 39 and 40 which are rotatable or fixed depending upon the means `of .securing to the chute segment 21k. Plates 39 and 40 are provided with pins 41 and 42. Plates 39 and 40 are provided with apertures 43 and 44 adapted for axial alignment with apertures 45 and 46 in the topmost segment 21k of the chute. As illustrated plates 39 and 4t) are movably or immovably secured to the chute by bolts 47 and 48.

A rodm50 having recesses 51 and 52 therein is supported by the pins 41 and 42 which the recesses are adapted to receive. Rod 50 has secured thereto, as by welding, a bar 53 which is slotted as at 54 and of a length when disposed horizontally to contact the flange 25.

Rod 50 is adapted for pivotal movement so that the bar 53 can be moved to a vertical position so as to avoid partial blocking of the chute during the unloading operation.

Cable 33 is secured at its two ends to means 55, such as a pin, insertable into and transversely slidable in the slot 54 of the bar 53of the lifting means to permit positioning for even distribution of force when the chute is to be moved downward in a silo full of ensilage. Cable 33 may be secured to the eyes 56 and 57 by suitable means such as hooks or equivalent apparatus.

In FIGURES 2, 5 and 9, there is illustrated one embodiment of means for maintaining the vicinity of the bottom access door from being filled with ens-ilage. Mounted inside the bottom access door 14, is au enlarged chute member 60 having approximately the same width and height as the bottom access door. The depth of the chute member 60 is greater than that of the longitudinally movable chute 21. Enlarged chute member 6i) is closed at the top by a plate 61 provided with a recess 62 adapted to loosely iit the configuration of chute 2l so as to permit chute 21 to be pulled up from or lowered into the space within the enlarged chute member 60.

In FIGURE there is illustrated one surface type means for unloading the silo. In FIG.v l0, the chute 23 is illustrated as retracted below the level of the ensilage in the silo. On the top of the ensilage rides an unloader driven by suitable means such as an electric motor suitably engaged to a central drive shaft. The surface unloading mechanism indicated as 70 consists of a centrally located pivot shaft around which slowly rotates a frame- Work or platform 71 which supports on its underside cutters 72 driven from the Icentral power shaft (not shown) by a chain drive. Cutters 72 are designed to move ensilage to the vicinity of the central power shaft which shaft drives an unloading auger 73 which rests in a fixed position with its terminal end adjacent the chute 23.

Platform 71 is actuated for rotation about the central axis by spring tensioned pneumatic wheel 74. Thrust of the Wheel 74 may be counterbalanced by a second wall contacting wheel at the terminal end of a boom making diametrical contact with the interior of the silo wall.

In operation, when the cutting out has progressed downwardly to the points where the auger 73 is adjacent the top of the chute 23, the chute elbow 24 is removed and the chute is winched downwardly to an extent permitting removal of the lowermost segment of the chute through the access door 14. After segment removal, the chute elbow 24 is returned to position and the unloading of the silo can be continued.

The above detailed description of this invention is given for clearness of understanding and no limitations are to be understood therefrom, as modifications thereof will be apparent to those skilled inthe ait.

We claim:

1. In a silo having a bottom door and a substantially continuous silo Wall above said door, the combination comprising a longitudinally movable unloading chute, a pair of laterally and substantially uniformly spaced tracks, said tracks being attached to the interior surface of the continuous wall and extending longitudinally in an upward direction from the top of said bottom access door, said unloading chute comprising segments having laterally extending lips interengaged with said tracks to hold said segments on said wall while permitting longitudinal movement thereof, and said chute segments having an end flange portion adapted to coact with a cooperating portion of another chute segment, the surface of said wall between said spaced tracks and the chute segments forming a closed tubular structure.

2. In a silo having a bottom access door and a substantially continuous wall above said door, the combination comprising a longitudinally movable unloading chute, a pair of laterally and substantially uniformly spaced tracks, said tracks being attached to the interior surface of the continuous wall and extending longitudinally in an upward direction from the top of said bottom access door, said unloading chute comprising segments having laterally extending lips interengaged with said tracks to hold each chute segment on said wall while permitting longitudinal movement thereof, said unloading chute segmentsA having an end flange portion adapted to coact with a cooperating portion of another unloading chute segment to provide'a unitary unloading chute, means for exerting longitudinally directed pull secured to a segment of said chute, actuating means for said pull exerting means whereby upward and downward movement of said segments on said tracks is effected, locking means for said actuating means to position the lower end of said segmented chute adjacent to the top of said bottom access door and elbow shaped conveying means having one end positionable in cooperating relationship with the lower end of said chute and having its other end terminating outside the access door.

3. In a silo having a bottom access door and a substantially continuous silo wall above said access door, a longitudinally movable unloading chute comprising a plurality of unloading chute segments, rail means having a pair of laterally and substantially uniformly spaced tracks, said rail means being attached to the inner surface of said continuous wall and extending longitudinally in an upward direction from the top of said bottom access door, said unloading chute segments having a substantially U- shape and having laterally extending lips interengaged with said tracks to hold said uloading chute segments on said wall while permitting longitudinal movementthereof, said unloading chute segments being superimposed on one another in intertting longitudinal interrelation whereby said intertted unloading chute segments and said rail means comprise a tubular structure, and positioning and locking means for said unloading chute segments being operable to move said segments in a longitudinal direction and lock said superimposed loading chute segments in position so that the lower edge of the bottom segment is adjacent the top of said bottom access door.

4. In a silo having a bottom access door and a substantially continuous silo Wall above said access door, a longitudinally movable unloading chute comprising a plurality of unloading chute segments, rail means having a pair of laterally and substantially uniformly spaced tracks, said rail means being attached to the inner surface of said continuous wall and extending longitudinally in an upward direction from the top of said bottom access door, said unloading chute segments having a substantially U-shape and having laterally extending lips interengaged with said tracks to hold said unloading chute segments on said wall while permitting longitudinal movement thereof, said unloading chute segments being superimposed on one another in intertting longitudinal interrelation whereby i said intertted unloading chute segments and said rail means comprise a tubular structure, positioning and locking means for said unloading chute segments being operable to move said segments in a longitudinal direction and lock said superimposed loading chute segments in position so that the lower edge of the bottom segment is adjacent the top of said bottom access door and an enlarged chute segment positioned below said bottom unloading chute segment and cooperating therewith to form inside said bottom access door an enclosed space contiguous with the interior of said tubular structure.

5. In a silo having a bottom access door and substantially continuous silo wall thereabove, a longitudinally movable unloading chute comprising rail means vertically positioned along the inside of the wall of said silo and having laterally spaced track means positioned lengthwise thereof and detachable chute segments positioned in edge to edge interiitting relation and having longitudinally extending lips interengaging with said spaced track means to hold said chute segments in alignment, means for securing adjacent segments together to form a unitary chute, means for exerting longitudinal pull secured to the top segment of said chute comprising rod means rotatably secured between parallel portions of said top segment,

an apertured transversely positioned bar securedto said rod, securing means insertable through said aperture and engageable with said bar and cable means secured to said securing means, and actuating means for said cable Whereby elevating and lowering of said emplaced chute segments is effected.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS .1,127,324 2/1'5 Vasey 193-15 S Dickson etal. 19,3-34 Levalley et al 193--14 Malone 193-34 Davidson 193-34 Gurney 193-34 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

KARL I. ALBRECHT, ANDRES H. NIELSEN,

Examiners. 

1. IN A SILO HAVING A BOTTOM DOOR AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS SILO WALL ABOVE SAID DOOR, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A LONGITUDINALLY MOVABLE UNLOADING CHUTE, A PAIR OF LATERALLY AND SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY SPACED TRACKS, SAID TRACKS BEING ATTACHED TO THE INTERIOR SURFACE OF THE CONTINUOUS WALL AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION FROM THE TOP OF SAID BOTTOM ACCESS DOOR, SAID UNLOADING CHUTE COMPRISING SEGMENTS HAVING LATERALLY 